Lady Chatterley's Lover Theme of Men and Masculinity

Are you currently in possession of a set of male genitalia? If so, D.H. Lawrence would very much like you to put down your Xbox controller and go do something manly, like build a fire, convince some chickens to sit on pheasant eggs, or milk a cow. In Lady Chatterley's Lover, these are acceptable manly activities. Unacceptable activities include writing, reading, prematurely ejaculating, and knowing anything about machines. Tough luck for all you auto mechanics out there, because you're actually responsible for everything that's wrong with the world, from World War I to women not being properly feminine. If you have a problem with any of that, then you've obviously been corrupted by greed for money and need—in Lawrence's words—to grow a pair.

Questions About Men and Masculinity

How would you describe Lawrence's ideal man?

What is the appropriate relationship between men and women in the world of Lady Chatterley's Lover?

What role are men supposed to fill in the world of the novel?

How does modern life specifically un-man men, according to Lawrence?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

D. H. Lawrence suggests that masculinity is only truly itself in active work. A lazy man is no man at all.

In Lady Chatterley's Lover, only working-class men are truly capable of being men.